


Kinktober 2020: Ropeplay, No smut

by Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Kinktober 2020, M/M, himbos in love, mike dodds deserved better, nick amaro deserved better, ropeplay, who work on their issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27567748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/Perpetual%20Motion
Summary: Nick has a slip. Mike helps him recover.
Relationships: Nick Amaro/Mike Dodds
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21
Collections: Kinktober 2020: SVU Filth The Sequel





	Kinktober 2020: Ropeplay, No smut

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FreckledSkittles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreckledSkittles/gifts).



Mike watches Nick stalk away from interrogation and wishes he could follow, but he knows he can't. Amanda's out getting a new victim statement, and Liv needs to help Sonny finalize the paperwork to get everything handed over to the DA's office. Which means Mike's the only one who can read the guy his rights and cuff him. Checking on Nick has to wait for the moment, even if it makes Mike twitch internally as he does it. 

Mike reads the guy his rights, cuffs him, and gets him booked. When he finishes locking the man in the holding cell, he sees Nick walking back to his desk, right hand tucked into his pocket. Mike doesn't call out to him. He goes into the crib, where Nick had run to, and takes a quick look around. Everything looks as neat and organized as usual except for a large smudge on one of the lockers. Mike lifts his right hand and presses it against the locker under the smudge. When he lifts his hand, he's left a similar smudge to the one above it. He wipes his palm down both smudges, smearing them together, then goes back into the squad room. 

Nick's staring at his computer when Mike walks over, and when Mike stops next to his desk, Nick looks up with a fight in his eyes. "What?" he snaps. 

"That was a hard interrogation," Mike says. "You did a good job."

Nick works his jaw back and forth. "Thanks, Sarge," he says. 

Mike watches him for another second. Some of the anger leaves Nick's eyes, and Mike gives him a quick, small smile. "We're off shift in an hour. Want to grab a beer?"

"Think I'll just head home," Nick replies. "I'm expecting company."

Mike's glad to see Nick smile when he says it. It's their way of inviting each other over, and he's glad Nick wants to be around him. "Well, have a good night."

"Yeah. Thanks, Sarge."

*

Mike doesn't hide the fact he's going to Nick's after work. They ride down in the elevator together, then walk to the subway with their shoulders touching. Once they're on the train and the doors close, Nick sags against Mike and sighs deeply. Mike cups the back of his head and presses a kiss to his temple. 

"I hit a locker in the crib," Nick says quietly, voice just barely carrying over the sounds of the train. 

"I saw," Mike replies. He feels Nick tense and keeps himself relaxed. After a moment, Nick takes a deep breath and forcibly relaxes his shoulders and back. "How can I help?"

Nick pulls away to look Mike in the eyes. "We'll talk about it at my place."

"Sure," Mike says, lacing his fingers with Nick's. He squeezes softly, and Nick returns it, giving him a brief smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. 

They're silent for the rest of the trip to Nick's, even though Mike wants to pull him in close and tell him it's okay. He's not disappointed in Nick. He's proud. When he and Nick had first met, Nick had already been working on getting his anger under control. After reading it in his file, Mike had approached him in the breakroom when it was quiet and told him that he was there to help if Nick needed someone to talk to.

"You got a secret anger issue, Sarge?" Nick had asked, sardonic and clearly prepared to be annoyed. 

Mike had met Nick's skeptical look with a sincere one of his own. "As a matter of fact. It's mostly under control now, but after I got back from Afghanistan, it was hard to readjust. Part of it was just coming out of a war zone, but the other part was being angry over...a lot of stuff."

Nick had watched him like he was waiting for a joke. Mike simply held himself loose and waited. "What helped you?"

"Therapy. Meditation. Yoga. Learning that punching things when I'm mad isn't actually useful."

Nick had glanced away at that. "Yeah. I'm kind of...trying all of those."

"Well, if you need to talk to someone, you can come to me. I'm not gonna freak out if you tell me you had a bad night and punched your fridge. Just be careful of your hands, okay? We can't box together if you bust your knuckles."

That had gotten an actual smile from Nick. "Yeah. I hear you, Sarge. Thanks."

When the door closes behind them at Nick's, Nick lets go of Mike's hand slowly and takes a very careful breath. "I know you're not disappointed."

"I'm glad," Mike replies. 

"I know you're going to tell me that all my anger shit is a process, and sometimes the process isn't perfect."

"Yup."

"And that a small relapse into bad habits isn't the same as not working on those bad habits."

"Good."

"And you're glad I told you the truth and trusted you to understand."

Mike laughs quietly, glad to see Nick grin in return. "Did you write these all down, or do I just repeat myself verbatim every time we have this conversation?"

Nick shrugs. "They stick in my head," he says. He rubs a hand over his stomach. "It means a lot, you know."

"I know," Mike says because Nick's told him that as many times as Mike has told Nick everything NIck's just repeated back to him. "How can I help tonight?"

Nick takes another deep, slow breath. "Could you...could you do the knots?"

Mike steps forward and touches Nick's face softly. "I'm happy to," he says. "Do you just need to feel them?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Mike kisses Nick, biting lightly at his lower lip to make Nick groan quietly. "Take a hot shower. I'll meet you in the bedroom."

Nick nods and pulls Mike in for another kiss before he breaks it off and walks to the bathroom. 

Mike goes to the bedroom and opens the nightstand on his side of the bed. He touches each rope that's coiled there. They're different textures and thickness, each for a different sort of use. He picks up the slate blue rope. It's a silk/cotton blend, the softest one Mike's ever found. He examines it carefully as he listens to Nick shower, checking for worn spots or loose twists. It's in good shape, so he lightly recoils it and sets it on the bed. 

Nick comes out of the bathroom a few moments later. He's rubbing his hair dry and looks noticeably more relaxed than when they'd gotten home.

Mike steps behind him and takes the towel once he's finished with his hair. He rubs Nick's back and chest and thighs and ass, making sure everything is good and dry before he gives Nick a light push towards the bed and goes to hang up the towel. When he comes back from the bathroom, Nick's lying facedown on the bed, head turned to one side and face pillowed on his arms. His eyes are half-closed, but he's watching Mike intently. 

"I thought I'd give you a rope dress," Mike says and smiles at the way Nick's eyes light up. "Do you want small knots or large ones?"

"Small ones," Nick says, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed. He looks up when Mike stands in front of him and loops the rope around the back of his neck like a scarf. His eyes close when Mike ties the first knot a couple of inches below the hollow of his throat. 

"That's it," Mike murmurs as he wraps his arms around Nick to feed the rope where he needs it. "Let yourself feel it."

They don't say anything else as Mike does up the rope, making a diamond pattern on Nick's skin that's crossed with the small knots. He feels Nick relax as each knot is secured, and he presses kisses to the open diamonds as he works. 

On the last wrap, as Mike extra carefully pulls the rope to sit snugly on either side of Nick's groin and tuck into the bend of his hip, he nuzzles the first knot he made and kisses right above it before completing the final ties and meeting Nick's gaze. 

Nick stands without being asked and slowly walks around the bed and back. He nods once to tell Mike everything feels comfortable, and Mike kisses him. "Glad it feels good."

Nick presses his face into Mike's shoulder for a moment, then pulls back and gives him a bright smile. "It really does. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Do you want to take a shower? I can start dinner."

Mike nods. "Sure." 

Mike showers quickly and gets into a pair of sweatpants and an old T-shirt afterwards. When he walks into the kitchen, he's unsurprised to see Nick shirtless but wearing a pair of sweatpants of his own. The ropes look even better on him when Mike can't see the final knots, and he presses against Nick's back for a moment just to feel the knots against his skin. 

Nick sighs and goes slack against him, head tipped back onto his shoulder. Mike kisses his neck softly, then pulls away, picking up the beer Nick's opened for him and taking a swig. 

Dinner is fish, rice, and vegetables. They eat in comfortable silence. Getting tied up always makes Nick quiet, and Mike's happy to encourage it. If Nick is quiet, his mind is quiet, and that means he's not being too hard on himself with his slip-up in the crib today. 

Mike rinses the dishes as Nick wipes down the table, and they settle on the couch, Nick lying down with his head in Mike's lap. Mike flips to a rerun of some procedural they can both ignore if they want. Nick turns his head to watch, and Mike trails his fingers over Nick's ropes, stopping to tap or press or lightly pull on every knot he can reach. 

Nick shifts when Mike runs out of knots to touch and makes it easier for Mike to reach his back. Mike smiles and continues to follow the shape of the ropes. When the show ends, he's got two fingers hooked into the diamond that spans over Nick's hip and disappears down into his sweats. 

Nick picks up the remote and flips channels to ESPN, keeping the volume just as low as it has been. They watch highlights together, laughing at some of the commentary, arguing about the way the Mets are using their rookies. The entire time, Mike keeps touching and trailing, letting Nick feel him and feel himself.

When they get ready for bed, Mike pulls off Nick's sweats and traces the ropes all over again. One last press or tug of every knot, and then he starts to undo them. He kisses each knot before he unties it, and then kisses the slightly pink skin underneath. When he undoes the final knot--the one below the hollow of Nick's throat--he drags his lips up over Nick's throat and presses a kiss into his mouth. 

"I love you," Mike says into Nick's mouth. "All of you. The easy parts and the difficult parts. The smooth parts and the knots."

Nick makes a quiet sound in the back of his throat. It's almost a sob but not quite. There are tears in his eyes when Mike pulls away to meet his gaze. "I love you, too," Nick says. "I can't even say how much."

"You don't have to," Mike promises, rubbing his thumb over the rope that's still hanging around Nick's neck. "You show me all the time."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to M for her beta work! You are such a fucking rock star. 
> 
> "No smut" is not a kink. But also, for kinktober, it feels like one, and it was specially requested. So.


End file.
